§1901 Congressional findings and declaration of policy

Summary

Establishes a national policy to restore and better manage public rangelands because large areas are in poor condition and not producing as much forage, wildlife habitat, recreation, or water and soil benefits as they could. It says current management and funding are not enough and that problems like soil loss, desertification, more silt and salt in western rivers (including the Colorado River), worse water supplies, damaged wildlife habitat, more flooding, and lower recreation value can follow. The law says these problems can be fixed by a stronger, better-funded rangeland maintenance and improvement program. It also directs charging a grazing fee for livestock permits and leases on public lands based on a formula tied to annual changes in production costs. It notes the Act of December 15, 1971 (85 Stat. 649, 16 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) protects wild free-roaming horses and burros but needs some changes to help manage excess animals humanely. The policy requires inventorying rangeland conditions (under section 1711(a)), managing and improving lands to meet multiple uses and planning goals (under section 1712), charging an equitable grazing fee, and continuing protection of wild horses and burros while removing excess animals that threaten the land. These policies take effect only when specific legal authority is provided by this chapter or later laws, and they add to—not replace—other laws about public rangelands.